U.S. wants PLO's Washington office to stay open -State Dept

A State Department official on Saturday said under USA law, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could not renew a certification for the PLO office to operate "given certain statements made by the Palestinian leaders about the International Criminal Court".

The note sent by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to official departments and embassies said that "any meeting with an American official is banned regardless of the reason until they back down and treat us fairly", Bloomberg reported. "Our meetings begin from our office, and the arrangements are there", Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki told AFP.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has announced it is freezing all ties with the U.S. as a result of the State Department's announcement on Friday that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) can no longer operate its Washington office.

President Mahmoud Abbas ordered all contacts with Washington on hold until Palestinian demands are met, sources within the PA government told RT.

"In practice by closing the office they are freezing all meetings and we are making that official".

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The threat to close the office could be a point of leverage for the USA, as the Trump administration seeks to engage the Palestinians in peace talks with Israel.

The US has announced on Friday that it would not renew the PLO Washington office permit.

There is a 90-day period for Trump to consider whether the Palestinians are engaged in "direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel" before any decision is taken. The Palestinian foreign minister also said the USA must re-examine all its laws passed since 1987, and rethink its definition of the PLO as a terrorist organization.

Earlier this week, the USA threatened to shut down the PLO office in Washington if the Palestinians insist to sue Israel in worldwide courts and if the Palestinians refuse to hold direct peace talks with Israel. It called on United States authorities to reverse this decision which it termed "troubling".

"The upcoming stage is crucial and a chance to correct the Palestinian-American relations", he said, adding the Palestinian decision "was made in response to the unaccepted American measures".

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